Classic Motorsport Ads

Win on Sunday. Sell on Monday. Of course that’s a good start, but which car manufacturer or supplier has done the best job marketing its motorsport associations?

Adclassix.com specialises in original classic car ads and have just about every US car ad ever published and we found a few interesting racing inspired print ads for review.

The best ad for me, and certainly the most strategic given the times, is the 1964 Shell/Ford GT ad.

Henry Ford II thought he had an agreement to buy Ferrari in 1963, and was so incensed when Enzo Ferrari killed off the deal that at the 11th hour, he ordered his company to develop the GT40 to win Le Mans and beat Ferrari at his own game.

With the Ford program still in its infancy in 1964, Shell found itself in the enviable position of supplying lubricants to both camps. To celebrate, it came up with this beaut headline.

“Ford challenges Ferrari on track, agrees with him on motor oil: both pick Shell”